


A Lily In A Twilight Place

by dryadgrl13



Category: Shall We Date?: Blood in Roses+
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, NSFW in later chapters, Ranger archetype, Vampire aristocrat, tags to be added as they become relevant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-04-05
Packaged: 2020-01-05 09:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18363110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dryadgrl13/pseuds/dryadgrl13
Summary: "I've found the monsters, papa. Now I just have to survive them."A re-imagining of Edgar's route.





	A Lily In A Twilight Place

The noon-day sun shone directly in Amelia’s eyes, blinding her momentarily, as she stepped into her mother’s open arms for a farewell hug. Neighbors murmured around them quietly enough that the young woman couldn’t hear what they were saying, even as she awkwardly slipped out of her mother’s too-tight embrace and began weaving her way through the crowd that had formed outside of her home.

Her mother called out to her, something that sounded like, _Please be safe,_ but Amelia refused to turn around. She barely nodded to her fellow villagers as she made her way down the dirt-paved lane of her village’s main thoroughfare. Amelia heard words of encouragement, prayers for luck and safety, and promises of a return celebration called out to her as she hurried past. All of the noises around her were lost to the buzzing in her ears and the harsh drum beat of her racing heart. 

The village chief was waiting for her at the northern border between the village and the forest. His weathered hand felt fragile in hers as she shook it in a traditional, warrior’s farewell. Amelia turned to enter the forest, only to be halted by the soft nip she felt at her hamstring. Pivoting on her heel, she looked down to see Bear glaring up at her. The silver of his undercoat sparkled in the bright sunlight. His slitted, yellow eyes narrowed at her, and he turned to look back at the mass of people that had been following them as they passed through town.

Amelia felt her throat tighten when, as if on cue, everyone raised a hand to wave at her. She heard Bear chuff, as though he was attempting to say good-bye to them all, and had to bring a hand to her mouth to stop herself from giggling hysterically.

“Bear,” she called, her voice breaking slightly. “With me.” 

The wolf turned away from the sight of the crowd, following his alpha into the forest ahead. 

***************

The Idora Forest was always dark.

It’s a good thing Amelia’s never been afraid of the dark.

 _Besides,_ she thought to herself as she ducked underneath low-handing branches, _This is as much my home as the village is._

After several hours of walking, Amelia had finally left behind the familiar deer-paths and hunting trails that her father had shown her when she was younger. Up until that point, she had felt confident in the direction she was heading. Amelia had spent her whole life working in this forest, whether harvesting plants and mosses for her sister, or trapping and hunting for food and pelts. This is where all of her fondest memories are. This is where she found Bear as a pup, his leg caught in a trap and left to die by his pack. This is where she and her sister used to play under the watchful eyes of their parents, back when her sister was healthy enough to run and jump and dance. This is where her father taught her how to shoot a bow, skin a deer, track an animal. Sometimes she felt more at home in this forest than at her own kitchen table, forced to listen to Alissa coughing for hours alongside her mother’s griping about marriage and money.

Now that those familiar landmarks are gone, Amelia’s steps become slower, her movements more economical. She scans the ground and trees for signs of others passing through here. The dark is oppressive, even though it shouldn’t be anywhere close to sunset yet.

“Bear,” she says quietly, and the wolf appears instantly beside her, matching her pace. “Scout ahead.”

Her companion vanishes in the dim light, as though he was never really there to begin with.

Amelia keeps moving northward. Outside of the stray whistle of a bird or the susurration of the wind through the trees, there is silence. She estimates another hour passes with no sign of Bear or the opposite end of the forest. Her stomach growls, sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet woods, and she decides to stop for a moment. Amelia whistles once, then twice, as she unslings the small pack that’s been hanging from her back. By the time she’s dug out a ration of dried meat and unleavened bread, Bear has made his way back to her. 

“Any luck?” she asks him as she sets out half of the meat for him to have. She receives a nonplussed look that seems to say, _You would know if I had, silly human._

Amelia chuckles to herself as she sits with her back against a tree. Bear eats his ration in a single swallow, then curls up against her side to wait. She shivers as she eats her food, finally realizing how cold it’s become. It’s unclear whether or not the temperature is due to the lack of sun or some supernatural force. Amelia tries to eat faster than she normally would, eager to be on the move again.

Right as she swallows her last bite of bread, Bear tenses next to her on the ground. He’s on his feet and ten paces away before she can blink. He begins to growl, a deep and practically inaudible sound. She can’t see or hear anything outside of Bear, but she trusts him with her life. In one swift move she’s crouching with her long bow in hand. The tree at her back blocks her from her quiver, so she’s as prepared as she can be.

“Who’s there?” Amelia calls out, sounding much braver than she feels.

There’s no response, and Bear doesn’t move from his position on guard, so she tries again. “I know something is out there. Show yourself.”

Amelia waits, forcing herself to take measured, even breaths. After the fourth deep breath, she stands to her full height. 

Right as she does that, something inhuman screams.

The ground beneath her feet shakes with the accompanying sound of a boulder smashing against trees. The unseen creature screams again, and Amelia watches in shock and terror as Bear’s ears fold flat against his head. The wolf lowers himself as close to the ground as he can get and begins slinking backwards towards her.

_Run._

That’s all her mind can think. Bear has faced down elk three times his size and never wavered. He’s never shrunk from anything in his life. Whatever is in this forest is something they cannot face on their own.

So she runs.

Bear follows close at her heels, both of them heading north. As they duck and weave through the thickening trees, Amelia says a prayer to her father.

_I’ve found the monsters, papa. Now I just have to survive them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely adore _Blood In Roses_ , but I found myself occasionally becoming irritated with either the MC or the choices placed before her. As a writer, I’m always looking for inspiration and excuses to practice my craft, so here we are: the Blood In Roses fics that no one asked for. My plan is to eventually write a fic for every romanceable character. I will go in the order that I’ve played so far (or if I get enough people reading for specific requests to come in). Enjoy.
> 
> Disclaimer: All of these will be mild AU in some way. My whole purpose for doing this is to fix moments/choices that bothered the shit out of me. I’m also a sucker for soulmate stuff, so prepare yourself for that spin as well. 
> 
> 2nd disclaimer: I am an avid Dungeons & Dragons fan, so you will see me borrowing heavily from language used in that franchise and the Forgotten Realms universe. I don’t intent to imply that _Blood In Roses_ is set there, I just like certain ideologies and mythologies.


End file.
